CNET Marguerite Reardon writes: Looking at me, you wouldn't think I have much in common with Hollywood A-lister Angelina Jolie. But you'd be wrong. We both carry a BRCA gene mutation, giving us a high risk of developing the cancers that killed our mothers and grandmothers.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 human genes normally produce proteins that prevent tumors. But when these genes change, or mutate, they can lose the ability to repair damaged DNA. Women who have inherited these genetic mutations have a much higher risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. READ MORE

The Washington PostGenome sequencing is supposed to be the future of medicine — a revolution that will bring about a new age of tailored treatments and unprecedented insight into people's individual biology. But perhaps nowhere are the “what if?” questions raised by genome sequencing more complex and ethically treacherous than at birth: Should we sequence the DNA of healthy newborn babies?READ MORE

HealthDay News via WebMDWhy can some people enjoy a cup of coffee just before bed and sleep peacefully, while others lie awake for hours?
A new study suggests genes may hold the answer. "Each of us could be potentially responding to caffeine differently, and it's possible that those differences can extend beyond that of caffeine," said study author Marilyn Cornelis. READ MORE

CNNCreating an effective treatment for schizophrenia requires a better understanding of its biology, of the genes that cause it. Using technology to illuminate chromosomes, scientists confirmed the underlying genetics of this mental disorder. The identified genetic disruptions occur at a crucial time in brain development.
The science team hopes its research, published in the journal Nature, leads to new medications to treat the disorder.READ MORE

CNNThere was another big win in the advancement of immunotherapy treatments for cancer this week.
The Food and Drug Administration approved an immunotherapy drug called Keytruda, which stimulates the body's immune system, for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.READ MORE

TIMEAbout a third of cancer deaths in American men and a quarter in women are linked to cigarette smoking, finds a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Smoking is the biggest preventable cause of death from cancer and other diseases, yet there are still 40 million smokers in the U.S. Researchers from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta calculated the percentage of cancer deaths among Americans 35 years and older due to cigarette smoking in 2014, state by state. READ MORE

Health Information DesignsSpending on specialty pharmaceuticals climbed 18 percent in 2015, compared to an increase of less than 1 percent for standard prescription medications. Despite their effectiveness, specialty medications are under constant scrutiny—reflecting the growing concern of balancing clinical innovation with responsible spending.READ MORE

Health IT AnalyticsThe FDA is reaching out across the pond to address patient engagement, drug development issues and precision medicine with its European counterpart.
The FDA and the European Medicines Agency are working together to advance precision medicine treatments for patients with rare diseases, officials announced last week, marking more than a decade of cross-Atlantic collaboration on drug development, patient safety, and medical research.READ MORE

Medical XpressA new study examines how one early example of precision medicine — tumor genome testing — is being used in women with breast cancer to reduce overtreatment and maximize the benefits of chemotherapy. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study found that physician recommendations and final treatment decisions correlated highly with test results, suggesting genome testing helped physicians identify which patients could most benefit from chemotherapy, and those for whom chemotherapy could be safely omitted.READ MORE

Genoptix Medical LaboratoryGenoptix, a Novartis company, is a leading CAP-accredited and CLIA-certified specialized laboratory focused on delivering diagnostic services to hematology/oncology patients and the physicians who treat them.

FORTUNECapital One announced this week it is partnering with blockchain startup Gem to use the digital ledger technology to track claims for medical patients. I mention this not because it’s the most important story of the day, but because the notion of banks using the blockchain to address the nightmare that is our health payments system is just another sign of how quickly technology is changing the fundamentals of modern business.READ MORE

Bloomberg BNAThe outcome of the U.S. presidential election could mean changes to the medical device tax, political insiders told attendees of a medical technology conference.
A Donald Trump administration would repeal the device tax, former Republican HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson said Oct. 19.
Aneesh Chopra, the former U.S. chief technology officer for President Barack Obama, said Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton officially has no comment on repealing the device tax.READ MORE

Medscape For bone marrow transplants, adding chemical dimethyl prostaglandin E2 to umbilical cord blood could improve success rates, report investigators here at the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 2016 Annual Congress.
"In our lab, we achieved a fourfold increase in the efficiency of healthy blood cell production with the addition of dmPGE2," said Leonard Zon, M.D., director of the stem cell program at Children's Hospital Boston, Massachusetts.READ MORE

Phys.orgHow do you improve a Nobel Prize-winning discovery? Add a debilitating disease-causing gene mutation.
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D., who first created induced pluripotent stem cells, and his colleagues at the Gladstone Institutes found a way to increase the efficiency of stem cell reprogramming through research on a rare genetic disease.
READ MORE

AJMCThe number of accountable care organizations has grown rapidly over the last 4 years, with more than 800 ACOs now covering an estimated 28 million Americans, and it is expected that the number of ACOs will quadruple over the next 5 years.
Using data from national surveys of 399 ACOs from 2012 to 2015, a group of researchers led by David Peiris, MBBS, Ph.D., MIPH, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health examined differences between the 228 commercial ACOs and 171 noncommercial ACOs and found that ACOs with commercial contracts outperform ACOs with public-payer contracts on selected measures of quality and process efficiency.READ MORE

Modern HealthcareHealthcare industry leaders are pushing back against the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's criticism of accountable care organizations. The panel is considering making changes that would force providers to take on more risk.
The group has said Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) ACOs, which were introduced in the Affordable Care Act and encourage providers to coordinate patient care, aren't achieving the goals of lowering costs and improving quality of care.READ MORE

ForbesIn January, Alkermes, a Waltham, Mass.-based biotechnology firm, announced that its experimental antidepressant, code-named ALKS 5461, had failed in two different clinical trials. Shares in the company fell from $60 to $33. Today, Alkermes announced that a third study of the drug had succeeded, leading shares to jump 43 percent in after-hours trading to about $60 — essentially erasing the specter of failure.READ MORE

The New York TimesBuying health insurance for the first time can be a daunting task. The good news is that there is more financial assistance for healthcare coverage than ever before, and you can’t be denied coverage. The answers to some frequently asked questions can help you understand the real costs of a health care plan and choose a policy that suits your needs.
READ MORE

The Wall Street JournalInsurer defections and rising premiums in the individual insurance market are spurring Democrats and Republicans alike to talk about changes to the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
For now, the conversations are largely aimed at their party’s base. President Barack Obama led his party’s cry on Thursday with suggestions that would further entrench the law, including the addition of a government-run health plan in parts of the country with limited competition.READ MORE

NAMCP UPDATES

The treatment cost for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients in the U.S. is approximately $14 billion a year and is projected to rise through 2020. To help managed care professionals more effectively analyze medical and pharmacy claims, Bayer has developed the “Treatment and Analysis of Colorectal Cancer Evidence” (TRACE) Analyzer. Click here for more information and who to contact.

In a recently published study, researchers demonstrated that the DecisionDx-UM gene expression profile test accurately predicts metastatic risk for uveal melanoma patients and is being used by physicians to appropriately guide patient care decisions with the ultimate goal to improve net health outcomes. Please click here to review the full press release.

Seattle Genetics Announces FDA Regular Approval of ADCETRIS® for Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients at High Risk of Relapse or Progression. Click here to view more information.

Sandoz, a Novartis company, announced today that Zarxio™ (filgrastim-sndz) is now available in the United States. Zarxio is the first biosimilar approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the first to launch in the US. Please click here for more information.
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